Help, my bitch is suffering with her 1st Season :(

Hi everyone,

This is my first post but i'm just desperate for some help!

I have a little staffy who is now 9 months and has just had her 1st season. Before this she was just the most wonderful family companion who LOVED my childrens (8,3 and 1) was always happy to see us loved walks etc.

2 weeks before her season things really started to change she wouldnt walk she would just run back home (we live next to a field) wouldnt eat and was just generally fed up, we took her to the vets and they said it was because she was due in season.
Fast forward to now, Roxy has had her season which finished just over a week ago. However our problems haven't stopped.

She is still very down, we took her out last night and she did actually walk without running home! However she keeps growling at my children, pinning our little cat down to the floor (the cats have NEVER been an issue with her before). One minute shes grumpy and growling the next she goes all skittish/nervy and crawls around like shes been told off?

All in all she hasn't been herself for around 5 1/2 weeks now and im just so sad about it, obviously i can't have her growling at my children but it would break my heart to have to re-home her
Oh also i just wanted to add that she is growling more so when myself or my husband are in the next room (our house is open plan so we can still see the children!) the other morning my 8 year old came down the stairs, i was behind her and all she did was open the stair gate and she growled at her then ran off (like she knew it was wrong). She has growled at myself and my husband once each in the last week so the main issue seems to be the children??

Well done if you got to the end, i didn't realise it would be that long!! Do you think this is all just part of her season still??

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated xx

ETA: we have booked her in to be spayed in October so that this should be her only season x

We cannot be sure, it could be coincidence but bitches often get mardy before, during and after season.

Why not go to your vet for a quick check up and see if he can refer you to a REPUTABLE behaviourist?

Mya's in season at the moment, she gets quite down and quiet but she's her normal self apart from that, she still bouncy playing ball in the garden etc and she's never got grumpy/growling etc.
If she's getting skittish/nervy could she be in pain? I would get her checked at the vets just in case she is in any pain but I can't help with the growling at the kids etc as I've no experience, hopefully someone will be along who can advise soon.
x

Yes bitches can be very temperamental when they have seasons. I call It SBS, Stroppy Bitch Syndrome! When her hormones have settled she more than likely will revert back to her usual behaviour, another reason to neuter her once her behaviour is back to normal.
However, it is always best to rule out any medical reasons so a trip to the vet is advised.
Becky

If you have a key hole spey done you don't need to wait till October...
because you are feeling sorry for her, have you been letting her off with little things,adding up to her being confident enough to feel she can growl ?
My wee Toro, bullie, suffered terrible with her seasons, I did tend to let my guard down with her cause I felt so sorry for her,if you can rule out any possible illness,I'd treat her as normal, go back to basics and put her back in her place...I had been given advice too about how to stop the phantom pregnancy,cut the food down, excersise more and don't allow any cuddly toys or humping beds, its worked with Toro twice ...
hope you get to the bottom of things

Thank you all so much for your replies.
I called the vets last week and they were of the opinion that she was behaving strangely due to her season, however seen as she has been 'off' for a week i thought it would have settled a bit by now
I think i will pop her down to them again this week and see what they think, they did give me a number to a behaviour specialist and i called them but as soon as i said she was a staff they were very much, this is an urgent case they are dangerous animals etc and to be honest i was majorly put off by their attitude towards her before they had even met her! They wouldn't even listen to my suggestion that it might be because she was in season (she still was when i made the call and i had told the vets and they advised it could be because she was at the height of her hormones!) Then i was given a lecture on how many staffs are waiting for re-homing etc. i think the breed hit a sore point with the lady i spoke too lol!

I agree that we have been letting her get away with more than normal because she has been under the weather but since she has been off we have been treating her as normal but the growling doesn't seem to be clearing as yet! Fingers crossed the vets can shed some light next week!!

Thank you all again xx

Oh i forgot to mention that we took her to the vets before she came into season due to her change in behaviour and lack of appetite too so they are aware of what's been happening xx

She could be moody for about 3 months, I usually get about a month before, then the season and about a month afterwards.
Becky

What a dreadful thing to say to you just because she is a staffie! It could be hormone related & I sympathise because when Tilly had her first season she was grump on paws, she snapped at us a few times just for stroking her around her thighs she was very sensitive, I thought she was in pain, then we had the whole phantom pregnancy thing where she carried bits of toys around, hid them in her bed, guarded her bed & constantly cried for days on end. She wasn't back to her normal self for a while.
The phantom pregnancy kicked in about 6 -7 weeks after her season.
Have you checked to see if she is producing any milk as this can be a sign of a phantom & they can get sore.

My girl Rio is moody for about two weeks before a season then a couple of weeks after. Her first was the worst one though, she had tummy aches, blew her coat and didn't eat. These days she has PMT a bit but isn't as bad as she was the first time. I think it's a confusing time for them sometimes when they have a season during adolescence. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll feel better soon. Starflower oil can help balance the hormones, it's present in Yumega. The behaviourist sounds pants BTW!